However, the first few rides Barkstale took were not the best traveling experiences.

“There was a lot of traffic around and big trucks,” Barkstale said. “It was a little nerve-racking.”

Children could take the buses to the Babcock neighborhood school on Friday, until the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shut the route down. The government organization called it irresponsible and inappropriate.

But the use of driverless vehicles are an enviable future that will save tax payer money.

A study by the research firm Strategy Analytics and company Intel estimates between 2035 and 2045 that more than 500,000 lives will be saved by autonomous vehicles. As a result, public safety expenditures would be reduced by more than $234 billion.

“It’s new technology and I think we have to learn how to live with this technology, so people can be suspicious,” Sandrine Rohrer said. “I can understand that.”

The driverless shuttle has features, like emergency buttons, which empower passengers with a sense of control. Moving at 8 mph also adds to the perceived safety of passengers when they are traveling in this driverless vehicle.

Syd Kitson, the chief executive officer of Kitson and Partners, said safety was the top priority when the community started operating the test shuttles. He disagrees with transportation officials, who claim the project violated approved terms.

“It was a surprise but that’s okay — that’s part of innovation,” Kitson said. “When you innovate sometimes there’s bumps a long the way and you have to deal with those and do it the right way and we’re going to do that.”

Kitson and Partners told WINK News its hoping they can come to terms with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to restart the school route.